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How to cook Laksa

Laksa is a Singapore noodle soup built on a spicy, coconut-rich prawn broth, served with thick rice noodles, cockles, fish cake and a dab of sambal. This home version uses a blended rempah (spice paste), a quick prawn-head stock and short cuts that suit a home kitchen.

Ingredients

For the rempah (spice paste)

• 12 dried red chillies, snipped and seeded
• 6 shallots, peeled
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 3 cm fresh galangal, sliced
• 2 stalks lemongrass, white part only, sliced thin
• 3 cm fresh turmeric, sliced (or 1 tsp turmeric powder)
• 4 candlenuts (buah keras), or 6 macadamia nuts
• 2 tbsp dried shrimp (hae bee), rinsed
• 1 tbsp belacan (shrimp paste), toasted
• 1 tbsp ground coriander

For the broth

• 500 g medium prawns, heads and shells on
• 4 tbsp cooking oil
• 1.5 litres water
• 400 ml coconut milk
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1.5 tsp salt, adjust to taste
• 1 tbsp fish sauce

For the bowls

• 400 g thick rice vermicelli (laksa noodles), fresh or dried
• 150 g bean sprouts, tails trimmed
• 8 fried tofu puffs (tau pok), halved
• 150 g fish cake, sliced
• 150 g blanched cockles (optional)
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, halved
• 1 small bunch laksa leaves (Vietnamese mint), finely sliced

For the sambal (chilli dab)

• 8 fresh red chillies, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp dried shrimp (hae bee), soaked and drained
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 calamansi lime, halved, to serve

Steps

1. Prep the prawns10 min
   Twist off the prawn heads and peel the bodies, keeping heads and shells in a bowl. Devein the bodies, cover and refrigerate. Rinse the heads and shells.
2. Soak the chillies and shrimp10 min
   Cover the dried chillies and the 2 tbsp dried shrimp for the rempah with hot water for 10 minutes until soft, then drain well.
3. Blend the rempah5 min
   Blend the soaked chillies, shallots, garlic, galangal, lemongrass, turmeric, candlenuts, dried shrimp, belacan and coriander with 4 to 5 tbsp water until a smooth, thick paste forms. Scrape down the sides as needed.
4. Make the prawn stock25 min
   Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Fry the prawn heads and shells for 3 to 4 minutes, pressing them with a spoon, until they turn orange and fragrant. Add the water, bring to a boil, then simmer on low for 20 minutes. Strain into a bowl, pressing the shells to extract the liquid, and discard the solids.
5. Fry the rempah12 min
   Wipe the pot, add the remaining 3 tbsp oil and heat over medium heat. Add the rempah and fry, stirring often, for 10 to 12 minutes until the paste darkens to a deep red, smells toasty and the oil separates and pools at the edges.
6. Build the broth15 min
   Pour the strained stock into the pot, stir well to loosen the paste, and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce to a low simmer and cook for 15 minutes to blend the flavours.
7. Add coconut milk5 min
   Stir in the coconut milk, sugar, salt and fish sauce. Keep at a gentle simmer for 5 minutes. Do not let it boil hard or the coconut milk may split. Taste and adjust salt.
8. Make the sambal8 min
   Blend the fresh chillies, garlic, soaked dried shrimp, sugar and salt to a coarse paste. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a small pan over medium heat and fry the paste for 4 to 5 minutes until darker and fragrant. Cool and set aside.
9. Cook the prawns3 min
   Drop the peeled prawns into the simmering broth for 2 to 3 minutes until they curl and turn pink and opaque throughout. Lift them out with a slotted spoon and set aside, then keep the broth on very low heat.
10. Prepare the noodles7 min
    Cook the noodles in a pot of boiling water according to the packet until tender but still slightly springy (fresh noodles: about 1 minute; dried: about 5 to 7 minutes). Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking.
11. Blanch the toppings2 min
    In the same boiling water, blanch the bean sprouts for 20 seconds and scoop out. Blanch the fish cake slices for 1 minute until heated through, then drain.
12. Prepare the tofu puffs2 min
    Add the halved tofu puffs to the simmering broth for 2 minutes so they soak up the soup, then lift them out.
13. Assemble the bowls3 min
    Divide the noodles among 4 deep bowls. Top with bean sprouts, tofu puffs, fish cake, cockles (if using), prawns and half an egg each.
14. Serve
    Ladle the hot broth generously over each bowl. Scatter with sliced laksa leaves and add a spoonful of sambal and a squeeze of calamansi on the side. Serve at once.

Tips

• Fry the rempah patiently; the broth only tastes rounded once the oil visibly separates from the paste.
• Toast the belacan in a dry pan for about 1 minute (or wrap in foil and heat) before blending to deepen its flavour.
• Keep the broth at a gentle simmer after adding coconut milk to avoid splitting.
• Lower the dried chilli count and seed them well for a milder broth; add extra sambal at the table instead.
• The broth tastes better made a day ahead; reheat gently without boiling and cook the noodles fresh.

Food safety and allergens

Cook prawns until fully pink and opaque, and heat cockles thoroughly, as raw or lightly cooked shellfish can carry bacteria. Cool leftover broth quickly, refrigerate within 2 hours and keep for up to 2 days (store noodles and toppings separately), then reheat until piping hot.

Contains: coconut, egg, fish, shellfish, soy, tree nuts

Watch it being made

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• Laksa Recipe - Singaporean Curry Noodle Soup (Laksa Lemak) | Asian RecipesPailin's Kitchen · 1,417,553 views · YouTube
• Easy & Authentic Singapore Laksa Recipe from Scratch! Katong Laksa Inspired 新加坡叻沙 Laksa Curry MeeSpice N' Pans · 617,473 views · YouTube

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